For the past few weeks, 23 teams have been busy creating their hopefully award-winning dishes.

On Friday, the teams served their samples to a crowd of more than 350 people. There was non-stop activity with lines of people crowded around the tables.

"You look up and all of a sudden you see someone you know, like just now, and you kind of make connections, but you're trying to serve as much food as possible," said Thomas Hackett from Nothwestern Mutual.